


Seeing Signs

by InsanityIsClarity



Category: Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure (Cartoon), Tangled (2010)
Genre: Adopted Sibling Relationship, F/M, Found Family, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, bad dad quirin, they were hinting at it in season 1 you cant deny
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-28
Updated: 2020-03-28
Packaged: 2021-02-28 19:47:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,698
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23362699
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/InsanityIsClarity/pseuds/InsanityIsClarity
Summary: When Eugene Fitzherbert is 10 years old, his eyes open.When he's 24, they widen.At a slightly older 24, they narrow.(OR: Eugene doesn't understand why anyone would ever want to hurt a kid, but some people do, and he has to do something about it.)
Relationships: Eugene Fitzherbert | Flynn Rider & Lance Strongbow, Eugene Fitzherbert | Flynn Rider & Rapunzel, Eugene Fitzherbert | Flynn Rider & Varian, Eugene Fitzherbert | Flynn Rider/Rapunzel
Comments: 95
Kudos: 587





	Seeing Signs

**Author's Note:**

  * For [WallyWrites](https://archiveofourown.org/users/WallyWrites/gifts).



> based off of some convos I had with WallyWestFest on Tumblr

Eugene is cocky.

He knows this because everyone tells him, but they don’t really _need_ to tell him, because he knows. Knows he’s “too big for his britches”, whatever that means, knows he’s arrogant, knows he swaggers around like he’s invincible.

But who can blame him? He’s 10, and he’s never been hurt, so of course he feels invincible, because as long as he keeps on not getting caught, no one will ever _want_ to hurt him. In his experience, people don’t usually want to hurt kids, a fact he exploits, numerous times, but never questions, ever, not until a month after the day Arnwaldo is finally adopted.

The day his best friend is adopted, Eugene is truly ecstatic. His closest friend is having ~~the day they’ve both been waiting for~~ the best day of his life! So, even if he himself isn’t getting adopted, even if he’s a _little_ sad that his ~~brother~~ best friend is leaving him, it doesn’t matter, because he is very, very happy for his friend.

The couple that adopts Arnwaldo seem especially nice, and Eugene smiles when Arnwaldo waves goodbye with a huge grin on his face. Arnwaldo and the couple look like a picture perfect family, and Eugene watches as they walk away, but, once they’re gone from sight, his smile drops.

The next month of his life is hard. Sure, Eugene has other friends, but not another as close as Arnwaldo, and it’s hard not having someone to tell everything to and do everything with. He keeps expecting his friend to show up again- maybe he’ll come back with the family and they’ll adopt him, too? 

The loneliest weeks of Eugene’s life go by and he eventually drops his dream of _get adopted with Arnwaldo_ and focuses on just _get adopted_. After all, he’ll probably never see Arnwaldo again.

Which is why he is very much surprised when, one month later, late at night, a knock comes on the window of the boys’ room and he opens the shutters to see Arnwaldo.

Quickly, he opens the window and helps Arnwaldo pull himself into the room. He lets his buddy catch his breath and goes to light a candle. When he returns with the light, he sees his friend’s face clearly for the first time, and his mouth _drops_.

Arnwaldo’s face is one giant bruise, and, judging by the stiff way the 11 year old is hunched in on himself, his face isn’t the only part of his body in pain.

Eugene regains his ability to speak in relatively short order. “What happened?” he questions, and guides Arnwaldo to his bed. “Did you get caught,” his voice drops to a whisper, “ _stealing_ something?”

Arnwaldo winces and looks away. Realizing he’s asked the wrong question, Eugene tries again. “Are you okay?” he asks, then, seeing the other’s face even closer, winces himself. “Where are you hurt?”

Hearing the concern in his friend’s voice, Arnwaldo finally looks up. “I didn’t steal anything, Eugene. I _swear._ ”

“What? Why are you hurt then? _Are you okay?_ ” His voice gets louder with intensity, something the older boy has never flinched back from, until now. He lowers his volume. “Please, tell me what is going on. Why are you _here_?”

“I… I don’t know why, Eugene!” Arnwaldo’s fists clench and unclench. “I didn’t steal and I didn’t talk back; I didn’t do _anything_! And they still…” the older boy breathes deep, but not deep enough. 

Arnwaldo looks close to tears, so Eugene does the only thing he can and pulls his friend into a hug. Arnwaldo’s hunched shoulders _collapse_ , and he begins to sob as the lankier preteen continues to hold him.

They’ve been hugging so long that Eugene’s eyes have closed when Arnwaldo finally speaks again. “It was... complicated. So, I came back,” he says, and something about how he says the word _complicated_ makes Euegne’s eyes snap open, but he still doesn’t know what to do, so he eventually closes them again and hugs his friend tighter.

Eugene still doesn’t understand anything about this, but he knows enough to resolve that this will never happen to his ~~best friend~~ brother ever again.

In the morning, Arnwaldo will show his face to the matron in charge and will be given his old bed back. Eugene will begin to insist that he and his brother are a _Package Deal_ and can’t be adopted separately. Arnwaldo will second this idea and the matron, unable to say no to their pleading faces, will hesitantly accept.

This will effectively end any chance either of them ever had at getting adopted.

Tonight, they fall asleep.

\-----

Flynn is uncaring.

He knows this because he tells it to himself every day, repeats it over and over like a mantra. He doesn’t care if he’s a good guy, he doesn’t care about where Lance Strongbow is, and today specifically he does _not_ care whether he should take one of the last remaining objects a grieving couple have of their lost child.

He gets the crown and loses his comrades (and definitely doesn’t care about backstabbing them) and gets away and loses the crown.

Suddenly, he has to care about the wishes of some strange girl living in a tower, but losing her and getting the crown back are directly linked, and so he has to care about how he can get that accomplished.

Trying to convince her that her mother will be heartbroken if she doesn’t return immediately does _not_ work.

Scaring her with pub thugs _very much_ does not work.

And then they’re drowning in a cave and he has to care about _that_ , and she has hair that glows and he can’t _help_ but care about that and…

And he tells her his real name, but he can’t possibly care about her, can he? He can’t. No way. But she heals his hand and she tells him her story, and he can’t deny now that he cares, just a little bit.

He cares about a girl who’s never left a tower, afraid of disappointing her mother so much that she plans on going back. “It’s complicated,” she says, and his eyes widen. 

Later, Flynn (Eugene?) sees the way Rapunzel stares at all the world around her, chalk and cupcakes and flowers and waterfalls, with open eyes, and as charming as it is, he’s becoming more and more concerned.

If he senses that being home is a truly bad situation for her, he tells himself, he’ll make sure she’s okay.

He takes her to a library and she tells him of the three books she has at home. He inquires why she doesn’t ask for more, and she says she doesn’t want to be selfish; that she has to be a grateful daughter. He frowns, and helps her read a little bit of every book that interests her.

She makes a mural in the town square, and absolutely preens after being given an offhand compliment by a passing villager. She grins wide and looks so happy that it strains his own smile.

If her mother really is so cold, he comforts himself, he’ll just make sure he’s even kinder to make up for it.

They eat cupcakes together and hide from the guards and, when she says this is the best day of her life, he echoes the sentiment right back, and means every word. _Eugene_ means every word.

They dance, and end up dancing together, and they get in a boat, and she…

She’s spent 18 years stuck in a tower dreaming of _watching lanterns_ and she wants to find a new dream and he’s only ever had two dreams, one that he’d given up when he was 10 and one that he’s giving up right here and now, not accepting the satchel back from her. And…

Tomorrow, once she’s seen the lanterns, he will see if he can convince her to leave her horrible mother behind and join him… somewhere. He doesn’t know where yet, but the details don’t matter, he just needs her to be safe (and would like very much if she would be safe _with him_ ).

In the morning, what will actually happen is a prison escape, a stabbing, a rescue, and the saving of a life. After that, the two will leave the tower and the chains and the cape and a princess will be returned, a sentence will be pardoned, and the next phase of both of their lives will begin. 

What won’t happen until much later will be the gradual opening up of a person who has been discouraged from showing emotions her whole life to someone who has been trying not to care for most of his. 

Tonight, he looks at her lovely smile and kind eyes and comes to the terrifying realization that he would do _anything_ for her.

\-----

Eugene is happy.

He knows this because… because he just does, okay? He’s happy to be with Lance again and even with Cass _and_ ra, he’s content that he’s in a financially secure position, and he’s absolutely _thrilled_ to get to spend every day with Rapunzel! 

So even if he feels a little purposeless at times, even if he’s a little out of place here, that’s okay, because he’s still the happiest he’s ever been, and only getting happier, and not even a stupid unibrow can ruin it! 

But, he’d still rather not have said unibrow, so he grabs the empty water jug and leaves his room to take it somewhere he can get it filled and subsequently wash his face.

He rounds the corner and stops in his tracks.

Ahead of him, a man looms over his son. Eugene is _fairly confident_ that the man’s name is Quirin, and he has both of his son’s wrists in one of his much larger hands and Varian’s eyes are _wide_ and now so are Eugene’s.

“That’s _enough_ , Varian,” Quirin says, finally dropping Varian’s arms. 

Free, the teenager stumbles back a couple steps. “Yes, sir,” Eugene can just barely hear Varian mutter, and he sees the boy rub his wrists.

Quirin walks off and Eugene walks closer.

“Hey, kid,” he greets. “Everything okay?”

Varian turns around at the sound of his voice, and Eugene can see that his eyes are slightly wet, though he doesn’t look very sad.

“No… not really,” the kid admits, and Eugene takes a step closer. 

“What’s going on?” Eugene questions, “Why are you here?”

Varian opens his mouth to answer, but closes it once more before words can escape, and his eyes squeeze shut at the same time.

Eugene takes a step closer, and it’s a step too close it seems, because Varian flinches back and his eyes snap open.

“It’s-it’s nothing, Eugene!” Varian’s fingers curl and uncurl. “It’s… everything is good! F-fine! Perfectly… fine.” 

“Look,” the ex-thief takes a hesitant step forward, and, when the kid doesn’t back up again, takes another. “Whatever this is, we can figure this out. Together… me, Rapunzel, Cass... we can help you! Please, kid, let us.”

Eugene places his hand on Varian’s wrist, intending to comfort him, but another flinch stops him, and he’s reminded of what he walked in on. “Hey, Varian…” he coaxes, “Would you mind taking your gloves off for me?”

“Wh-what? Why?” The alchemist takes another step back and Eugene does not follow, this time.

“Just, just humor me kid, okay?” He raises his hands in front of him in what he hopes is a placating manner.

“I’d… I’d really rather not?” Varian says (asks?), and takes another step back.

“That’s,” Eugene breathes in, and Varian’s shoulders are so hunched, and Eugene realizes he’s going about this all the wrong way (again, he gets so drastic so soon, has to _slow down_ ). He breathes out. “That’s okay, too.” 

Varian sighs in relief and doesn’t remove his hand from where it’s wrapped tight around his other wrist.

Eugene shifts tactics. “Have you ever seen the royal engineer’s chambers?” He works his lips into a smile.

“There’s a _royal engineer_?” Varian asks, incredulous.

“Used to be, apparently. No one I’ve met seems all too sure what happened to her. Hasn’t been seen in… twenty years, I heard? There are _definitely_ royal engineer _chambers_ , though. Wanna see?” He wiggles his eyebrows.

Eugene can see the gears shift in Varian’s mind, can see how his face twists and knows that the kid is weighing pros and cons; can see the moment his eyes widen and knows the kid knows that he’s being distracted; can see the moment he stops caring that he’s being distracted.

“I’d… I’d have to ask my dad…” Varian’s fingers start drumming a beat onto his wrist.

“Would you like me to come with?” Eugene offers.

“Yeah, sure, maybe-maybe wipe the unibrow off first, though?” The kid laughs nervously, and the fingers tap faster.

Eugene’s hand flies to his face and he remembers his original reason for being in this particular hallway. He stares at the water jug in his hand. “...Oops. Yeah, of course! I’ll just… do that, and then we can talk to your dad together! Just, stay here for now.” He gives finger guns at the spot the kid is standing in and speed walks away.

One face wash later, he returns to find Varian standing in the exact spot he’d left him in.

Varian supposes Quirin is probably waiting outside and getting supplies packed for the journey back home, so they head out to the front gates, and there they find the leader of Old Corona.

“H-hey, dad, I was- I was wondering if I could stay at the castle a little longer. Eugene invited me to check out the royal engineer’s chambers!”

“We need to head home, Varian. Besides,” the man sets his hand on Varian’s left shoulder, and it weighs both shoulders down into a slump, “I wouldn’t want you to bother these people.”

“It’s no problem, really,” Eugene steps forward to reassure. “It would be fun to go check out the chambers for myself, too!”

Eugene can see Varian perk up at the support. Shrugging off his dad’s hand, he smiles. “Pl-plus! You wouldn’t have to deal with me and my dis-disasters for… however long this takes!”

Varian clearly means this as a bargaining ploy, a reason that his dad should leave him behind, and the connotations make Eugene’s stomach hurt, though not nearly as badly as when Quirin pauses to take this under legitimate consideration.

Done thinking, Quirin sighs. “Just make sure not to destroy anything, _again_ ,” he says, turns on his heel, and walks away.

“Th-thanks, Dad!” Varian shouts after him, and turns his head to give Eugene a huge smile. “So, where are these chambers located?”

“Second basement,” Eugene answers, then softens his voice. “But, first, kid, is everything okay between you and your dad?”

“Ye-yes! Of course it is? Why-why wouldn’t it be?” Varian laughs, and rubs the back of his head. Eugene gives him a look and the shaky smile slides off the kid’s face. “It’s, just… it’s _complicated_ , okay?” 

Eugene’s eyes narrow.

Varian must see this, because he curls inward a little and that is _not_ what Eugene wanted, so he makes a concentrated effort to smooth his facial features out, and his voice raises a pitch when he talks again. “Right this way, my good sir, the _engineering chambers_ await!” With an over exaggerated bow, he leads the way to the promised destination. 

That afternoon, Varian will spend the whole day examining old left behind designs and trying to recreate them, chatting to an attentive Eugene all the while. The sky will darken and Eugene will suggest Varian spend the night, because _it’s not like your dad gave you a time to be home by, right?_ and Varian will agree.

In the morning, Eugene will begin to think up plans. An apprenticeship in the capitol city perhaps? An easy job in the castle, maybe? Anything to give the kid another option _besides_ Old Corona. He won’t know everything, but he’ll know enough, and he’ll care more than enough. 

Today, he gives a kid an over-exaggeratedly fake tour of a castle, and smiles wide when Varian laughs loudly.


End file.
